How I Got My 2nd IM Norm!

To receive the title of International Master (IM), you need a FIDE rating of 2400 and 3 IM Norms. To achieve an IM Norm, the opponents you play must have an average rating of 2230, you need to play at least 3 people with the International Master or Grandmaster Title, you need to play several foreign players, and you need a performance rating of 2450 or above. 

The 2023 Marshall Chess Club NYC Winter IM Norm Invitational was hosted from February 22 to February 26, and I needed 7 points out of 9 for an IM Norm. 

I will talk about all of the games and show you some of the instructive moments that helped me to get my 2nd IM norm. 

Brew with IM Alex Ostrovskiy outside the Marshall Chess Club. Photo by Hardaway family

Game Analysis 

Round 1: NM Nathaniel Moor (2168) vs FM Brewington Hardaway (2370)

When I saw my pairings for the tournament, the first thing I remembered was that I played Nathaniel Moor back in late October in 2022 and he played the London System against me. After reviewing that game, I checked some of his other games and played a slightly different system in the London than I did the last time we played. We traded lots of pieces very quickly and he offered a draw in an opposite bishop endgame, but he misevaluated the position and I was actually better. I never lost my advantage and won a clean endgame.

Score After Round 1: 1/1

Round 2: FM Brewington Hardaway (2370) vs FM Gus Huston (2285)

If you read my article about how I got my first IM Norm, you may remember that in the final round of that tournament I played Gus in a very tense game. We were playing each other once again and instead of playing e5 like he did last time we played, he played the Caro-Kann. I played the Advanced, Tal Variation. In these positions black struggles to castle without their h5 pawn being a weakness, which happened here. I always kept pressure on his h5 pawn so that he could never castle, and by the time he castled, I had two strong pawns in the center and a dominant bishop which was too much for black to handle. This was another clean game, but shout-out to my opponent since he also managed to score his 2nd IM Norm despite me defeating him in the 2nd round! 

Score After Round 2: 2/2

Round 3: NM Eric Moskow (2144) vs FM Brewington Hardaway (2370)

In this game I was playing the lowest-rated and oldest player in the tournament at 64 years old. Despite knowing this, I was actually nervous for this game because I saw from his recent tournaments that he clearly can play some very nice games and is a very solid player. In the tournament previously, he had 8 draws so I knew he would be tough to crack. He played the King's Indian Attack and got a better position but unfortunately for him, he rushed a decision that immediately led to his resignation and my 3rd straight win!

Here my opponent played Nxf7?? with the idea that if Kxf7, he will take on e6, take on e7, and get a winning position. Unfortunately he missed a trick I have that led to him resigning right on the spot.

The Solution: Qc6+! I have the intermezzo and now white must get out of check and the e6 pawn is defended so I can now take the knight for free!

Full Round 3 Game:

 Score After Round 3: 3/3

Round 4: FM Brewington Hardaway (2370) vs GM Mark Paragua (2455) 

In this game I was playing the top-rated player in the tournament, and I was hoping for him to play a Sicilian in order to get a sharp game. Unfortunately, he seemed content with a draw because he played one of the most solid and equal openings, the Berlin, and I did not have the energy at the time to try to grind out a long game. Considering my tournament situation, a draw against the top-rated player was not bad so when he offered a draw, I accepted.

Score After Round 4: 3.5/4

Round 5: FM Andrea La Manna (2245) vs FM Brewington Hardaway (2370)

In this game I was looking to be aggressive by playing the King's Indian! I saw that in all of the games he played the Samisch variation, but on move 6 he surprised me by playing Bg5! In all of his previous games he played Be3. I got a slightly worse and dubious position, but he traded the queens off and it was a solid draw. I never got many chances this game but a draw was a solid result, considering my position.

Score After Round 5: 4/5

Round 6: FM Brewington Hardaway (2370) vs IM Roberto Martin Del Campo (2225)

I had already played Roberto twice before this tournament and both times I played white. He plays many different Sicilians so I did not know which one he would play. I was completely outplaying him the whole game until I missed a couple of opportunities for an easy win, and after 4 hours it was actually an equal position. I knew what I had done and I was angry but I did not give up. I kept on trying to win and I think fatigue hit him as he made a huge mistake, and I was able to find a nice king maneuver to save my last pawn on the board and win the game. 

 

Round 7: NM Zachary Tanenbaum (2244) vs FM Brewington Hardaway (2370)

 

At this point, I needed 2/3 for the IM Norm, and in this game I knew a draw with black would not be bad. However, since my opponent had 4/7 and needed to win all 3 games for a norm, I knew he would go all-in and I would take advantage of his greed to win. He played the Italian but unfortunately for him, his misplayed the position and after 19 moves, I had a winning position. Here are two key moments during the game which led to me to winning the game.

 
Key Moment #1:
Something does not feel right about the queen on f1. How did I take advantage?

 

The Solution: Nxg2!! If Kxg2, I have Bxh3 winning the queen on f1. In the game he went Qxg2 but now the queen is not defending the c4 knight so I took that knight and was up a pawn.

 

Key Moment #2
It may seem that white had everything under control but how did I break through?

The Solution: Rxc2!! After Qxc2 I went e4 and since white's king is almost checkmated, my opponent had to sacrifice the exchange back and give me a pawn so I went into a rook endgame up two pawns and had a smooth conversion. Without Rxc2, the win would have been much more difficult to achieve.

 

Full Round 7 Game:

 

Score After Round 7: 6/7

 

Round 8: IM Alfonso Almeida Saenz (2254) vs FM Brewington Hardaway (2370) 

 

 

I just needed 1/2 for the norm but I was trying to win this game. I saw my opponent moved very quickly so I knew I would be in time trouble. I offered a draw early to get in his head and on the same move I offered the draw, he made a mistake! Unfortunately, despite finding lots of interesting ideas and getting into a winning endgame, I had 1 minute vs 80 since my opponent moved instantly every move and I could not convert the win and ended with a draw.
 

Score After Round 8: 6.5/8
 
Round 9
Round 9: FM Brewington Hardaway (2370) vs FM Alice Lee (2320)
 

Most of you probably know Alice, and if you don't, you should! She already has two IM norms, is already one of the best female players in the U.S., the top female player in the world in her age group, and so many other mind boggling achievements. I just needed a draw and I had white, so I offered two draws early in the same Advanced Caro-Kann that I played against Gus and she declined both offers. I was ready to play but just in case, I offered a 3rd draw on move 14 and she accepted! 

 
Final Score: 7/9!

 

Brew playing against FM Alice Lee. Photo by Gregory Keener
 
Tournament Takeaways and Thoughts:

After this tournament, I will be 2394 FIDE, so just 6 points away from the first requirement for IM which is 2400. I also need just 1 more IM Norm but it must be from a Swiss tournament and I most likely will not be playing one for a little bit, so I will be starting to work on getting the Grandmaster title and should hopefully get IM in the process.
 
Overall I was pretty happy with my performance. I really only had two unpleasant positions in the tournament and only missed one chance where I could have gotten an extra half point. The quality of my play is improving and I am excited and hopeful that future tournaments will also go to plan. I also ended without a single loss (5 wins and 4 draws) which was great to see. I never relaxed during the tournament and I was always preparing for every opponent just as much as the last. For the best tournament performances, you can never take it easy. You always have to be focused and can't get distracted!
 

---

I hope you enjoyed this article and I hope to see you soon with more good news about my journey to IM and GM!